Soul behind the strings
Violinist Alexandra Parker has unveiled a bold new identity with the release of her debut single, which promises to redefine modern violin music. Interview by Kate Chapman.
Playing as Alexandra the Violinist, she has dazzled audiences at weddings, VIP events and festivals for more than two decades, but now under the name Lexxie she’s starting a new chapter in her musical journey.
Lexxie describes her debut track ‘Awakening’ as “fusing world, chill out, and electronic influences with a distinctive Arabic flair”. She says it was inspired by a year of manifestation, spiritual exploration and creative reinvention after a chance meeting with another musician.
“I was having an improv lesson with [performer and tutor] Mark Ellis, and we went out to get a coffee,” explains Lexxie, who lives in Crowle, Isle of Axholme in North Lincolnshire.
“We saw Leona Jørgensen from The Voice busking. I hadn’t seen her for a while so went over and said it was good to see her back. I messaged her later and she replied saying she’d love me to play on one of her tracks. I went to meet her producer and he asked me to put some strings over the track and gave me free rein to do whatever I wanted.
“All this improv I’d been working really hard on came into play as they gave me a room [in which] to sit and be creative in as many ways as I wanted. I put lots of layers on the track and couldn’t believe I’d done it, I never thought I had that creativity, it had always been a bit of a struggle before – classical players tend to be more structured and technical, while jazz involves more improv.
“This was back in January. Then Kenny said he’d be my producer and that we should write together.”
Musical talent
Lexxie composed ‘Awakening’ and the track was released earlier this year. She’s now working on an album which will feature seven tracks, each relating to one of the seven chakras (energy centres) in the body. Lexxie, who is passionate about spiritualism and manifestation, says that when the songs are played at a certain frequency they’ll have the potential to help heal the relevant chakra.
She adds it’s no surprise her career has taken the turns it has – musical talent runs in her family. Her dad, Don Parker, was a professional musician from the age of 12. He toured the UK with his band and when they split he formed a comedy duo, while his father was an acclaimed double bass player.
“My career just kind of happened – it wasn’t set out that this was going to be my job,” adds Lexxie.
“When you’re a kid and you think about a career as a musician or a singer, it’s because you want to be famous, that didn’t bother me. I don’t care about fame – just as long as I’m involved in music.
“I saw an orchestra on TV when I was young and was mesmerised by the violin and instantly thought I’d love to play.
“At school we had a new violin teacher who auditioned kids to learn – they played a song on the piano and we had to sing and clap back in time. I was doing all that at home with Dad as we had a piano in our dining room. I passed the audition and started playing.”
Professional performer
A year later, Lexxie’s dad told her it was time to get some performance experience, and he took her busking in Scunthorpe, which, after overcoming her nerves, she thoroughly enjoyed. One day turned into two, and she was soon performing every week.
“I was only 10 or 11 at the time. Doncaster was my favourite place, I absolutely loved it. As I started to get better, people would ask me to play at their garden parties,” she recalls. “I made some incredible contacts – people who have changed the course of my career.”
She cites Lord Hurst, who invited her to play at a fashion show fundraiser in aid of Doncaster’s Aurora Centre – a community space for people affected by cancer and other health conditions – and Jane Fair, wedding co-ordinator for the Moat House Hotel, Doncaster, as among those early supporters.
Lexxie says: “Jane suggested I attend a wedding fair, so I did, and I left with a few wedding bookings, I was only 13! I did my first wedding a couple of months before my 14th birthday. It was really nice to do. There were lots of things for someone of such a young age to experience. I was interviewed on TV and performed at festivals, but as I got older I thought ‘where is this going?’
“I’d done all these things for such a long time and loved it, but I lacked a creative musical outlet. I was working so hard, being technically amazing and doing impressive stuff, but then you learn that nobody cares, people want you to play the easy stuff that they know – like Ed Sheeran. But I loved what I was doing – my heroes were Vanessa-Mae, Nigel Kennedy and Maxim Vengerov – I just wanted to be the best, and there wasn’t really anyone else around doing what I was.”
Violin Academy
When the pandemic hit, all of Lexxie’s event work stopped, leaving her wondering how she would pay her mortgage. Her response was to set up the Violin Academy UK, which enabled her to teach others to play over the internet and then when restrictions were lifted, she started giving private and school lessons.
The academy is thriving, and Lexxie has big plans for its future. While she continues delighting guests at weddings and other events, she’s enjoying unleashing her creativity too.
“It’s interesting – some days you get nothing, while on others you have a great time and come away with all these ideas. I really want to do strings on other people’s tracks, collaborations – I’ve contacted a few people and been to work with someone who works for Sky Library. That was really exciting. This time we had a brief, full of tick boxes to meet. It was a more structured approach, which can sometimes help you be more creative.
“I’m learning a lot, which is good. My message to others is to put yourself out there – you just don’t know what’s going to come from something.”
Awakening is available to stream on Spotify and available for purchase on Apple Music and iTunes. For more information visit alexandraviolinist.co.uk
Main photo: Violinist Alexandra Parker (Photography: Ched 53, Aaron Cheeseman)
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Lincolnshire Life Magazine Newsletter 12/25 - mailchi.mp/lincolnshirelife.co.uk/lincolnshire-life-magazine-newsletter-12-25